Kari Bitz: What President Trump’s ‘Buy American’ Order Means to My Local Business
FILE -- Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani buy cookies at Eat’n Park after his campaign event, in Moon Township, Pa., Oct. 10, 2016. 'America’s Mayor' doggedly represents Trump in blunt and politically divisive terms. (Stephen Crowley/The New York Times)
This guest post was submitted by Kari Bitz, a North Dakota business owner and author from Bismarck.
It may not make headlines in the national news, but President Trump’s “Buy American” policies have been life-changing for my family and me.
As small business owners in Bismarck, my husband and I were surprised when we received a request from our local government for a bid on machinery for riding lawn mowers. When I asked why, they explained that President Trump now requires local governments like the one here in Bismarck to request bids from local suppliers.
As a local business owner, that was music to my ears and something I had never heard before.
The rule known as “Buy American” was established by an executive order that strengthens the requirements for government agencies to use U.S.-sourced goods and services.
For example, in the past, our city would hire nonlocal entities, sometimes foreign businesses, to work on our infrastructure and landscape — simply because they were able to undercut the local businesses by way of cheaper labor — crippling the chances of our own companies getting the job even though they could provide better quality.
[mks_pullquote align=”left” width=”300″ size=”24″ bg_color=”#ffffff” txt_color=”#000000″]President Trump is helping the mom and pop businesses throughout the country that make up a big part of our economy and provide jobs for people in our local communities.[/mks_pullquote]
Using nonlocal, international companies pushed millions of dollars out of our economy and into the hands of other people, often on the other side of the world.
Now, President Trump has changed all that.
The simple notion of investing our tax dollars back into our economy is exactly what small business owners like me needed.
President Trump is helping the mom and pop businesses throughout the country that make up a big part of our economy and provide jobs for people in our local communities.
This is what a government “for the people” looks like — a government that supports local residents, business owners, and their employees; a government that is willing to invest in every town, city, and state throughout our country.
Under President Trump, this government feels like it actually cares about my business more than it did under the previous administration.
It’s this kind of pro-business philosophy that we need more of from our elected officials in Washington. It’s also why North Dakota needs to send more leaders who will partner with President Trump to make our local businesses more competitive.
Kevin Cramer, the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate, is a strong supporter of President Trump and understands the importance of caring for the communities and people who pay the taxes.
That’s why I know that with President Trump and Kevin Cramer in Washington, my business will come before the interests of companies from abroad.
I’m comfortable knowing they’re strengthening families and communities by putting American businesses first before the rest of the world.
When my local business has new opportunities because our leadership in Washington establishes a new standard for local sourcing, it’s a win-win-win for my community, our state, and our country. We should keep those opportunities coming for all local businesses by supporting the Trump-Cramer team on Election Day.
